


First Impressions

by thatwriterlady



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Awkward Dean, Bullying, Castiel Likes Dean Winchester, College, College Student Castiel, College Student Dean, Dean Winchester Likes Castiel, F/M, Feelings, Fluff, Football Player Dean, Gay Male Character, Homophobia, I went a slightly different route, Jock Dean Winchester, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Nerd Castiel, Professor Crowley, Prompt idea, Shy Castiel, Surprise Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-11 12:39:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7892614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas is at the end of his college education.  He only has a few classes left, one of which is history.  He opts to take it at the end of the day, since he knows all of the material it should be a cakewalk.  He even chooses the most laid back history teacher the university has.  He should be able to skate through the course with his eyes closed.</p><p>Except every asshole on the football team decided to take this class at the same time as he did.</p><p>And his <em>crush</em>, Dean Winchester is in this class too.</p><p>Oh, and of course the professor got switched out for the biggest dick they had.</p><p>What else could possibly go wrong?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Class is in Session

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AmbecaWatson](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmbecaWatson/gifts).



> Hello, everyone! Did ya miss me? I know it's been nearly a month since I've put anything up. I have no dropped off the face of the planet, I just wanted to say that. Here's a quick update:
> 
> 1.) No, things are not yet better. We're still struggling. My mom's physical health has remained fairly steady, but the strokes have really done a job on her brain. For a bit I thought maybe she'd be ok if I got a job outside of the house, but the last few weeks have proven that is not possible. Apparently nudity is now her thing and she wants to sit on the deck and enjoy the sun. She is also turning on a space heater in the middle of the night (yes, we keep taking it away, and since she thinks she's a hot shot and can get up into her wheelchair now, she finds it and brings it back over to her bed), so she is sending my light bill through the roof. Oh, and not to mention getting into what little groceries I've been able to scrounge up. I got some money, went and got food, told my kids we're on a tight budget for the month and do not waste anything or pig out. We went to bed that night, woke up the next morning to find that my mom had gotten into the food and eaten about half of it. So yeah, things are rough.
> 
> 2.) Bills have not been paid, so I do not have internet. My best friend gave me the password to her XFinity, but it's kind of shotty, so I don't have a constant connection. I wish I did. I will not have money for internet for a long time to come. Between a nearly $500 light bill, a $100 water bill, expenses with my mother, and needing to buy food, the internet just has to go to the wayside. I am still searching for a work from home job. I know I'll need to get internet for that, but I'll tackle that hurdle when I get there.
> 
> 3.) I am stressed out, I am mentally and physically exhausted. and I hurt. Lots of joint pain and migraines. But I'm hanging in there, and I'm trying to keep my head above water.
> 
> 4.) I am still writing. I have not stopped. I have written a few fics, some of which I trashed because I thought they sucked, so I turned to friends in one of the Destiel groups I'm in, and asked for an idea of something to write, so I could get back into a positive groove. This little gem was given to me, and I am so very thankful to Louisa for it. It flowed for me, and after two beta reads, it got the go ahead to be posted. I will put it up in chapters, one a day. It's not terribly long, but I needed to find my groove again. Writing keeps my anxiety from taking over and sending me hurtling head first into a depressive funk from which I can't escape, so even when I was writing garbage, I kept writing. It's like going through a tunnel. I had hopes that I would come out the other side. I'll say this much. I can at least see the light!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this. I am working on the next chapter of Save My Soul. I want to get that one finished. Postings for new fics will be touch and go. It will depend on if I have a strong enough wifi connection or not. I just missed you all so much, and this site. So, enjoy! I hope you like this story!

Cas sighed as he sat down in his seat and pulled out the notebook he’d designated for this class. It was his last class of the day, and he was tired. He’d deliberately chosen history for the end of the day because he could pretty much do it with his eyes closed. This was his last year and his last semester. His GPA was perfect; he was on the path to becoming the valedictorian, and he already had a fantastic teaching job lined up back home. Everything was pretty much perfect in his life. He pulled out his textbook and the syllabus. Thankfully the professor had outlined everything they’d be going over this semester, and all of the assignments were listed. He could work ahead if he wanted to and get as much of it finished as he wanted. This he preferred to not knowing what a professor was going to throw his way on any given day. He was flipping through the book, making notes on the syllabus and in his notebook when suddenly the room got really loud. Annoyed, he looked up to see a group of football players walking in. 

“Oh, great,” he muttered, rolling his eyes. One football player was bad enough, but...he did a quick head count...5 of them? That meant they’d goof off, joke around, and generally not take the class seriously. How they managed to be earning enough credits and keeping their GPAs high enough to keep their scholarships, he had no idea. The few that he’d had the displeasure of interacting with were rude, pushy, and of less than average intelligence. He recognized all of these ones, even though he hadn’t had classes before with most of them. There was Victor Henriksen. Now he was pretty smart for being here on a sports scholarship. Cas had Victor last year in chemistry and, well, Victor had passed. He’d tutored the man a bit and gotten Vic to raise his grade from a D to a high C. He just had to pass with a C, so that’s what he did. He was in for some kind of sports management degree, or something along those lines, if Cas remembered correctly. Laughing with Victor was Cole Trenton. Now he was bad news. He had a reputation around campus as being a homophobic asshole. Cas had made a point of avoiding him and so far, they’d only had one class together freshman year. Cole had somehow caught wind of Cas’ orientation, or had just decided to accuse him of being gay, and had spent the entire semester throwing spitballs at the back of his head and whispering derogatory insults at him. It was like high school all over again. Since then he’d been able to avoid the man. While Cas was doing a double major in education and history, Cole was earning a degree in physical education. So he was destined to someday be a gym teacher. Hopefully he wouldn’t bully his students the way he did his classmates.

Alistair Dolan and Luc Simmons were sitting together at the front of the room, already being loud and obnoxious. Cas had, until now, never had a class with either one. He’d heard some scary rumors about them both and avoided them. If he could make it through this semester without drawing their attention, he’d be home free. With a groan he noticed the 5th one was Rafael Aaronson. That guy was a mega douche. He’d nearly been suspended three times already for his smart mouth and quick temper. It was like the fates were against him putting him in a class with some of the biggest assholes the school had to offer. He was especially glad he’d taken a seat way at the back. Being that this was a large lecture hall, he was barely noticeable. It was his desire to remain that way.

More people were filing in, and Cas was glad to see at least a few of his own friends would be taking this class with him. Anna and Jo smiled when they spotted him and quickly made their way back to where he was sitting.

“What are you doing way back here?” Anna asked as she sat down on his left.

“Avoiding the asshole brigade that just walked in.” He nodded towards the jocks that were tossing wads of paper back and forth as they laughed loudly.

Jo sat down on the other side of Anna and looked at the football players. She rolled her eyes and opened her book up.

“Ignore them. They’re just a bunch of oversized toddlers.”

Cas snorted and just as he was about to turn his attention back to his book, he walked in. Carrying himself with an air of confidence Cas had always marveled at, Dean Winchester not so much walked in as he did sweep into the room. The other players all cheered at his arrival. Just as he was about to join his fellow teammates, Jo did the unthinkable.

“Dean!” she yelled.

“What are you doing?!” Cas hissed. She looked at him in confusion.

“What? He’s my cousin.” 

Cas groaned and covered his face with his hand. He hadn’t told her about his crush on the handsome, green-eyed football player, and now he was grateful that he’d kept that to himself. Anna, however, knew. She patted his arm in sympathy.

“Heads up,” she whispered. He dropped his hand and looked up to see that Dean was climbing the stairs up to where they were sitting. Cas’ heart began to race. There were two things he knew about Dean Winchester.

1: The man was absolutely drop dead gorgeous

2: Dean had one hell of a reputation as a ladies man

The latter made it painfully clear that he was off limits to someone like Cas. He tried to shrink into his seat the closer Dean got. 

“Hey, what are you doing way back here?” Dean asked. His eyes moved from his cousin to Anna, who he flashed a flirty smile, until she rolled her eyes and looked away, and then to Cas, who was deliberately not looking at him.

“Uh, we came to sit with Cas.” Jo glanced over at her friend, and Dean moved over to stand in front of Cas’ desk.

“Hey, nice to meet you, I’m Dean.” He stuck his hand out and Cas knew there was no avoiding the man. Slowly he extended his own and shook it. 

“Hello, Dean.” He dared to lift his head and make eye contact. Damn, he should have avoided that. Dean was attractive from a distance but this close up? Gorgeous was no longer an adequate enough word. Bright green eyes were staring hard at him, one eyebrow raised.

“I’ve seen you around campus. Don’t think we’ve had any classes together though.”

“No, we have not,” Cas agreed. He was a little shocked by the fact that Dean had actually noticed him, but he kept his expression as neutral as possible.

“Until now.” Dean smiled and a swarm of hornets exploded in Cas’ stomach. Fuck butterflies, those were simple flutters compared to what he was currently experiencing.

“Yes, until now.” Cas tried to be polite and offer a smile in return. 

“Dean! You coming back?” Cole yelled out. Cas cringed and looked worriedly between the two while praying silently that Cole would stay exactly where he was.

Dean looked back over his shoulder at him, and he seemed ready to head back when suddenly he shook his head.

“Nah, Imma stay here with my cousin. You heathens stay there.”

His teammates booed him but to Cas’ relief none of them made an effort to come join him. He expected Dean to go sit down next to Jo but instead he dropped down into the empty seat on Cas’ right. 

“You don’t mind, do ya, Cas?” he asked. Cas swallowed hard as he shook his head.

“N-no, it’s fine.”

Dean’s smile was wide and when he winked, Cas tried hard not to let out the moan that threatened to escape. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if he revealed the crush he’d been harboring on the guy for the last four years, since the very first football game he had attended. 

Swallowing hard, Cas went back to making notes, not that it was easy to concentrate with Dean sitting next to him. When the professor walked in a few minutes later, he looked up. Oh great. So last minute they had swapped out Professor Shurley, who Cas actually liked, for Professor Crowley, the most annoying teacher the school had. He crossed his fingers and hoped the syllabus was still valid.

“Well, good afternoon, ladies, gentlemen, and football players.” The man’s smooth British accent made the man seem as though he were classier than he really was. In truth, he was a snarky, vindictive asshole that took pleasure in tormenting his students. Cas had the displeasure of having the man for two previous history courses, and he had deliberately avoided taking the one that the man was teaching of this course earlier in the day. He’d gone out of his way to choose Professor Shurley, and still he’d ended up with Crowley. Oh, and the biggest assholes on the football team. Wow, he was sooo lucky…

“So the syllabus, as it is written, will stay the same. Same assignments, same test dates, though I will throw in a few essays and projects as I feel that there isn’t enough material being covered. Shall we begin?” Crowley clapped his hands together loudly, the sound reverberating off the walls.

“Chapter 1! Page 6…”

Cas glanced over at Dean to see the man was picking at a nick in the surface of his desk.

“Where’s your book?” he asked. Dean glanced over at him before dropping his eyes.

“They didn’t have any more copies for me when I finally had the money to get one. I’ll have to like, make copies of someone else’s.” 

Cas nibbled thoughtfully at his lower lip before making a rather rash decision.

“Scoot closer. For today you can follow along with my book.”

Dean’s face lit up, and he smiled. “Yeah? Thanks!”

He quietly moved his desk closer and leaned in so he could read along with what Crowley was talking about as he turned on the overhead projector and began rattling on about ancient civilizations. One of the reasons Cas had chosen this class was because he really just needed one more history credit, and this one was ridiculously easy. He knew all of the material already thanks to several other courses he’d taken, plus everything he’d learned in high school. He could quote facts about a wide variety of ancient cultures, and practically anything Crowley might lob his way. The thing was, Crowley knew how smart he was, and he especially liked testing Cas. Once the professor realized he was in this class, he’d waste no time in directing questions at him in an attempt to throw him and find something he wasn’t knowledgeable at. Fortunately, Cas was ready for it.

Dean had one elbow resting on the back of Cas’ chair and the other arm half lying on his own desk and half lying on Cas’ as he followed along with the lesson. Cas tried not to let the warmth of Dean’s arm at his back or the scent of his shampoo distract him as he tried to focus on the material Crowley was covering and take notes. It wasn’t that he needed to take them, he knew the material front and back, but it was better than fidgeting nervously having Dean within kissing distance. More than once he caught Dean looking up and smiling at him. It made his heart hammer in his chest with every glance and every little smile. Still, he did his best to pay close attention to the professor. After so many classes with Crowley he knew there would not only be pop quizzes, but there would also be trick questions on the actual tests. Usually there were hints tucked into how he spoke about certain topics. Crowley probably had no idea that he put more emphasis on certain topics, and that his expression became almost maniacally gleeful. That or the smarmy bastard was doing it on purpose just to see if anyone would catch it. Cas had breezed through the last two classes he’d had the man for, not that Crowley had dared to make it easy, and he hoped this class would go just as smoothly.


	2. Hard to Pay Attention

When the hour was up Crowley turned off the projector and turned to look out across the room.

“Your syllabus will list the first assignment due. I expect it on my desk at the beginning of class Wednesday. If you do not have a copy of the syllabus, please stop by my office to get one. I know some of you were added last minute and were not able to get one from Professor Shurley, so he made sure I had extra copies. And for those wondering where he is, his sister passed away, so he will not be teaching this semester. I am taking over half of his courses while Professor Martin is taking over the rest. I expect hard work and commitment if you expect a passing grade.” He gave the football players the stink eye. “You are dismissed. Be on time Wednesday!”

With that he strode out of the room. Cas sighed and closed his book. Dean sat back before pushing his desk back into place.

“Thanks for letting me use your book,” he said.

“Not a problem.” Cas smiled politely as he began shoving things into his bag. It wasn’t so bad sharing with Dean, he thought. The man smelled good, and he was quieter than expected. If Dean returned and sat down next to him he didn’t think it would be that bad. His crush wasn’t as obnoxious as his teammates.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday had Dean dropping down into the seat next to Cas again, much to his surprise, and apparently the surprise of his teammates, but at least this time he came prepared. Sort of. He had photocopied pages from the textbook, a well used notebook that looked like it had more doodles than actual notes, and a pencil so well used there was maybe three inches of it left. Cas just shook his head in amusement and opened his own book. He’d already turned in his paper as per Crowley’s orders, but he hadn’t seen Dean turn one in. The moment he’d walked into the class he’d headed straight up to sit next to Cas.

“Hey ya, how are you doing?” the man greeted him.

“I’m good. You?” Cas would be remiss to deny that having Dean sit next to him and acknowledge his presence was more than a little flattering, but in an attempt not to look like a lovesick fool, he kept his expression neutral. Around here not many people knew he was gay, and he intended to keep it that way. Aside from some jerks like Cole messing with him over the years, he’d managed to avoid most of the assholes that would have made him really feel like he was reliving his high school years all over. That had been a miserable time in his life, and he had no desire to relive even a single moment of it. The more people that knew, the more nervous he became. Really, only his closest friends were privy to that information. Anna and Jo knew, as did his friends Balthazar and Charlie. Sure, Cole knew, but Cas was fairly certain no one had outright told the guy he was gay. He was just one of those creeps that could sniff it out for himself, or made assumptions based on how a person acted and dressed, and then if they reacted to his insults, assumed he was right and continued his torment. Cas was betting he was probably in the closet to some extend himself and was therefore lashing out at the people around him out of fear of his own secret being found out. That or the guy really was just that big of an asshole. 

Dean was staring. Not at Cas, per se, but at his notebook. His meticulous note taking made for very clean, organized pages. 

“You take notes like my brother,” he said. There was no teasing in his tone. It was more of an observation. “He’s going to Stanford on a full ride. Kid’s super smart. Bet you are, too.”

Cas’ gaze flicked up to him for a moment before he returned to his writing.

“Top of my class, if that makes any difference,” he muttered.

“Knew you were smart.” 

He could hear the smile in Dean’s voice, and when he looked up again he saw it. Soft, almost shy. It made the man even more beautiful. Cas wasn’t sure whether that was a compliment so he simply offered a small smile in return before getting back into his notes. Crowley swept into the room, dropping his briefcase on the desk near the podium and clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Alright, class! Today we are going to tackle the Roman Empire! Over the next two weeks we are going to cover the rise of, the trials and tribulations, and then the inevitable fall. Who can tell me when the empire rose into power?”

Hands shot up, Cas’ included. Dean crossed his arms and watched as Crowley paced back and forth, eyeing the football players down in the front, none of whom had their hands raised. Victor was at least furiously paging through his textbook trying to find the answer. The professor’s dark eyes flickered up to check the people in the middle and back. When they landed on Cas, he smiled. It reminded Cas of something the Cheshire Cat would give. Now he was on the man’s radar.

“Castiel.” The name dripped from his lips as though coated in venom. Cas saw the way Dean cocked an eyebrow at it. It was unusual even to him.

“Can you tell me?”

“Approximately 625 BC,” Cas replied, refusing to let the teacher’s tone get to him. If anything, he was probably the one person in the class that got Crowley and understood his moods. Crowley gave a curt nod and turned to the rest of the class. 

“Now, can someone else tell me who was in power at that time?”

The rest of the hour was spent with Cas writing down every question Crowley asked. He knew the answers to them all and wrote those down more because he knew someone would eventually ask him if he had them handy. When he glanced over at Dean, he saw the man doodling in his notebook. Batman, from what it looked like. He frowned and shook his head before returning to his own note taking. If Dean wanted to blow the credits and risk his scholarship, that was his business. It was just a bit of a disappointment to find that the guy he had been crushing on for the last 4 years was just a blockhead jock like all his friends. Cas liked guys with brains. Dean was pretty, but looks weren’t everything. Still, the disappointment stung more than he thought it would.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Why? This class was turning out to be a nightmare! This was supposed to be a simple class, to round out the last of the credits he needed for his history degree. He was supposed to show up, complete the required coursework, take his final, and skip his way to graduation, but no, things never went that easy for him. 

First, Anna had decided she liked Victor. Cas couldn’t even fathom how those two had crossed paths, because Anna, as shy and quiet as she was, only talked to him and Jo. She never so much as even blinked at any of the boys in class, yet one day she came walking in laughing and talking with Victor. That would have been fine, if she would have gone down to sit by him. No, she had to ask him to come and sit by her, so now Victor sat directly in front of her. And of course his buddies couldn’t let him go and sit alone by a girl. No….they all had to tag along. Cole took the seat directly in front of him, and the flicker of recognition in his eyes when he glanced back at Cas, followed by that evil smirk, was enough to make his stomach turn. With his buddies around, Dean grew rather loud and obnoxious. They lobbed jokes back and forth and somehow, even though Dean wasn’t turning in the required coursework, he seemed to know the most random and obscure facts about nearly every ancient civilization that was discussed, and most of it was lewd in nature. Sure, it was funny, and Cas wanted to laugh more than a few times, but he didn’t. He wasn’t going to go out of his way to risk Cole’s wrath and end up the butt of the football team’s jokes. That would be be much too humiliating. 

Professor Crowley clearly didn’t like the rowdy nature of the football players and at least twice during every class he had to tell them to shut up. Not be quiet, because the first time he said that, they ignored him, but to shut up. Cas tried to focus on his work but the way Cole looked at him, it made his skin crawl, and he was having a terrible time with it. He still took notes, though they were much less detailed. When he got back to his room he would flesh them out more, and focus on the questions he felt would be on chapter tests. In class though, he had a difficult time concentrating. Crowley was big on group discussions. He would divide the class up into groups of 4 or 5 people, and give them a topic to talk about. And of course Cas would get stuck with the football players instead of with Anna and Jo. 

Every. Freaking. Time.

Dean ended up in his group though, every time. He was loud, kept asking the most ridiculous questions, and he was getting on Cas’ last nerve. Every few minutes he would ask Cas to clarify something he had said, or ask him to repeat himself. Granted, the other blockheads in their group were being obnoxiously loud to the point that they were drowning out most of what he was trying to say, and Dean seemed to be the only one actually paying attention. Cas led the discussions, which is what he suspected was Crowley’s intention all along, but it was exhausting. These guys couldn’t possibly be that dumb or care so little about their grades. Could they?

 

[](http://www.pizap.com/image/707476471pizapw1472452969.jpg)  
[](http://www.pizap.com/u/707476471) [](http://www.pizap.com)


	3. Slaying Homophobia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up! There IS homophobia in this chapter, and bullying on the part of Cole. Between Dean and Crowley though, he WILL be put in his place. Just to let you all know ahead of time. It is marked in the tags already.

Dean ended up bugging Cas during class too, even when they weren’t doing group discussions.  He’d pepper him with questions that Cas was too nice to  _ not _ answer, and it made his cheeks flush the way Crowley would watch them, a wicked smirk on his face as Dean continued to lean into his personal space and ask vague questions about whatever the current topic was.  Cas left class each day feeling an odd mixture of drained and exhilarated.  Drained by the fact that he was surrounded by obnoxious football players who were treating the class like it was one great, big joke, Dean’s constant questions, and Crowley’s need to single him out no less than twice during every class, and exhilarated by the fact that Dean moved his desk closer at the start of every class and would lean his arm across the back of Cas’ chair as he leaned in and whispered.  Were the constant questions annoying?  Yes.  Was being the focus of his crush’s attention annoying?  No, because despite his apparent inability to grasp the subject matter, Dean was  _ nice _ .  He didn’t insult Cas, or call him names, unlike Cole.  It was four weeks in, about a week after the football players had come up to sit by them when they were discussing the commonality of homosexuality in ancient Native American tribes, and its universal acceptance.  Cas was proud of his heritage which included Sioux as well as European lineage.  

“Does anyone in here have Native American in them?”  Crowley asked.  More than half the class raised their hands, including both Cas and Dean.

“Mr. Novak, can you actually trace your lineage back to a specific tribe?”

“Yes, sir.  My great grandmother on my mother’s side is Lakota.  I was raised knowing all of the traditions,”  Cas replied proudly.

“No wonder you’re a fucking  _ fairy _ ,”  Cole sneered, just quiet enough that Crowley didn’t hear.  But Cas did.  His smile faltered and he looked away, swallowing hard as the embarrassment washed over him.  

“Hey, that’s fucked up.  You don’t have any right to talk to him like that,”  Dean hissed.  Cas looked up in surprise to see him glaring at Cole.

“What?”  Cole seemed shocked that Dean would actually be defending him.

“I said you don’t have any right to talk to him like that.  Stop being a dick and apologize.”  

Cole scoffed and shot Dean a dirty look.

“I’m not apologizing to a fucking  _ fag.” _

Dean’s upper lip curled into a snarl and his green eyes flashed dangerously.  As Cas watched, the man’s hands curled into fists, and he looked to be about two seconds away from leaping over his desk and full on jumping Cole.  Right in the middle of history class.

“Is there a problem, Mr. Winchester?”  Even Crowley seemed to notice what was happening.  He was standing at the front of the class with his hands on his hips and one eyebrow cocked expectantly.

Cas watched Dean tear his eyes away from Cole to look at the professor.  He hoped that Dean would say no, there wasn’t anything wrong, but since this class had started, nothing had been going his way.

“Yes, I do have a problem.  Cole here is being a jerk and throwing about sexist comments.”

Cas shrank do in his seat and covered his face in hopes that the attention would not fall on him.

“What exactly is he saying that is so awful you feel the need to disrupt my class?”  Crowley demanded.

Dean pointed at Cole who seemed shocked that his friend and teammate was singling him out.

“He’s throwing sexist comments around.   _ Homophobic _ comments, which is disrespectful to a number of people in this class.  It’s also disrespectful to the Native American people who accepted and revered people in same sex relationships.”

Cas was thankful that his name had not come up in Dean’s little speech, however he was impressed and even thankful that he’d spoken up at all.  Crowley’s eyes narrowed as he scowled at Cole.

“Mr. Trenton, what gives you the right to insult other members of your class?  And don’t even try to deny it.  I saw you talking and whatever you said, it upset several people.”

Cole looked like a deer caught in the headlights, and Cas was glad Crowley was driving the car straight at him.

“I, uh…”  He swallowed hard before shrugging his shoulders.  “I...didn’t mean it?”

“Hardly.  You don’t say something unless you meant it, and judging from the looks on peoples’ faces, your words were cutting and hurtful.  What issue do you have with homosexuals?  Hmm?”

“I think it’s wrong.  I don’t want no homos hitting on me.”  Cole puffed his chest out as though he were actually proud of what he was saying.  Cas couldn’t help but roll his eyes.  Even Dean snorted in disbelief.  The fury that flashed in Crowley’s eyes was visible, even from where they sat.  Cas perked up a bit, curious to see how the professor intended to handle that, seeing as how he was known to date both male and female staff.  Apparently  _ Cole _ didn’t know that.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Mr. Trenton.  I’m certain there is hardly a soul in this class, and in this school, that would want to hit on you, straight or gay.”  Crowley’s words were biting, and it gave Cas a deep sense of satisfaction seeing Cole’s look of shock as the class all laughed.

“Never in a million years,”  he added, just to see Cole’s cold glare in his direction. 

“Turn around, because no one back here is interested in homophobic, sexist  _ assholes _ ,”  Anna surprised everyone by snapping.

After that, Cole’s comments stopped.  In fact, even his hateful glares stopped.  He almost seemed afraid of Anna, which in and of itself was  _ hilarious _ . Cas was aware that Dean didn’t seem to be talking to him anymore either, and the next day Cole had moved to a seat on the other side of Alistair.  From that point on the only person he had really talking to him was Dean, aside from Anna and on occasion Jo.  Dean seemed to think they had become great buddies, and he wanted to think they were at least friends, even if they didn’t speak outside of class.  That was mostly because they didn’t have any other classes together, and his evenings were spent doing homework.  The rest of the weeks seemed to fly right by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If only all assholes were handled so easily...


	4. Assumptions Go Out the Window

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas learns a valuable life lesson about passing judgment on others.

 

Rafael took his paper back and grinned.

“I passed!  Sweet!”

“Barely,”  Crowley said dryly.  He turned to Luc, giving him his final grades.  He...did not pass.  Oddly, it didn’t seem to faze him very much.  Alistair passed by the skin of his teeth.  Victor got a solid C, not that Cas was surprised.  Cole got a C as well.  That one sort of did surprise him.  Jo was next.  She had gotten a high B and passed the final with a low A.  Cas was proud of her.  She was smiling wide as she waved her paper happily and practically skipped out of the room.  Anna, not that Cas was surprised at all, got an A on both the final and for the class. She smiled sweetly as she hurried down to where Victor was waiting for her.  When Crowley came to stand in front of him and Dean, he gave another of his leering, Cheshire Cat grins. They were the last 2 students awaiting their grades.  He placed their finals down on their desks, the grade down, and folded his hands in front of himself.

“I can’t say it wasn’t interesting having you yet again, Castiel.  You are one of those students that makes teaching quite enjoyable for me.  Your thirst for knowledge, and your ability to handle everything I throw at you, is impressive, and to maintain a solid 100% on everything you turn in? I’ve only had one other student in all my years of teaching ever do that.  I commend you, and as I know this is your last class, I want to wish you the best in all of your endeavors.”

Cas was quite flabbergasted by his professor’s praise.  He turned the paper over to see a red 100% written at the top.  The grin that stretched across his face was so wide it hurt, but he couldn’t shake it.  

“Thank you, sir.  I have to say, no teacher has ever made me work quite as hard as you have, and I did learn a lot in every class I’ve had with you.  I knew this material too, but you managed to lob a few facts at me that I didn’t know, and I ended up enjoying this.”

Crowley winked before turning to Dean.

“And you never cease to surprise me either, Dean.  Superb work this year.  You and Castiel are the brightest young minds to come through my doors in a very, very long time.  As I’m sure you already know, you have a perfect score as well for this class.  I wish you luck in your career as well, since I know you are nearly finished with your schooling.  Congratulations to you both.”

Cas had been gathering up his things, stuffing them into his messenger bag, but now he was staring, slack jawed, as Professor Crowley commended Dean on his hard work and dedication.  What the hell?!

“Thanks, sir.  This class was fun.  I even think I made a few new friends.”  Dean looked over at Cas and had the audacity to wink.  He turned over his paper and Cas’ jaw dropped further.  A red 100% was written at the top.

That wasn’t possible.  Dean hadn’t taken a single note.  He hadn’t turned in a single paper.  He had bugged Cas throughout the entire course, asking questions until Cas wanted to either throttle him or kiss him to shut him up.  There was no way he had earned a perfect grade!  Crowley was already walking away but Cas was too numb to move.

“You ok there, Cas?”  Dean cocked one eyebrow as he got to his feet.

“How?”  

Dean frowned.  “How...what?”

“How did you…”  Cas motioned towards the paper in Dean’s hand.  “It’s not possible!”

Dean looked down at the paper for a moment before his cheeks tinged red.  

“You’re asking how I got a perfect grade.”

Cas nodded, too numb to speak.  There were still people in the room, a few of whom were now looking in their direction after hearing Cas raise his voice.

“Walk out with me?” Dean asked. Cas closed his mouth, and as he stood up he slung his bag over one shoulder.  He followed Dean out into the hall, neither man speaking.  To his surprise, the hall was devoid of any football players.  No one had waited for Dean.  Jo and Anna were gone too, so apparently no one had waited for him either, not that he was at all surprised by that.

“Well?”  Cas asked, finally over the majority of his shock.  Dean scratched nervously at the back of his neck.

“I sort of pretended I didn’t get the material cause I wanted a reason to talk to you more.  Pretty sure you just assumed that I was here on a sports scholarship.  Just another football player, right?  Stupid and here to fool around, right?”

Cas felt his own face redden at being called out.

“I never saw you taking notes…”

“Eidetic memory.  It’s both a curse and a blessing,”  Dean shrugged.

“Eidetic…”  Cas took a deep breath and let it out through his nose.  “So you already knew the material.”

“Guilty.”  Dean admitted.

“But you never turned your papers in.”  Cas knew that alone should have failed him.

“I got permission from Crowley to email my papers in ahead of time since I had football practice at the beginning of the course, and then ended up taking on a chemistry project for another class.  He’s an old friend of the family so he didn’t mind grading them that way and emailing them back to me.  I’m not here on a football scholarship.  I joined the team after I got here.  I’m here on a full academic scholarship.  I have the second highest GPA in the school.”  

There went Cas’ jaw again, dropping.

“You-”

“Are an 8th of a point behind you,”  Dean said.

“Holy shit.”

Dean was cocking one eyebrow again.  “You assumed that because I’m on the football team…”

He didn’t even have to finish the sentence.  Cas’ eyes dropped to the floor, and he felt his stomach doing a terrible flip.  The realization that he had spent his entire college career judging the very people that used to judge him made him feel like the biggest ass in the world.

“I’m gay,” he blurted.  Dean nodded slowly, tilting his head a bit in confusion.

“Ok...I sort of already knew that.”

Cas adjusted his bag and forced himself to look Dean in the eye.

“What I’m trying to say is that since I came out when I was 14, people have judged me.  Either for being smart or for being gay, or because I love collecting comics-”

“Dude, you collect comics?”  Dean asked excitedly.  

“Y-yes, but that’s not the point.”

“Right.”  Dean nodded and schooled his expression into something serious.

“What I’m trying to say is that people have always judged me, and when I got here I told myself, this was a fresh start, that I wasn’t going to be the asshole that judged everyone else like they used to do to me, except that is exactly what I’ve done.  It became a coping mechanism, I think.  I learned that just because I’m an adult and in college, that doesn’t mean that everyone else will think as positively as I do. Your teammate, Cole, went a long way towards making me feel like an awkward, scared high schooler again.  But...he wasn’t the only one.  So, yeah, I think that to protect myself, I maybe lumped your team members into the category of people to avoid, and I don’t know.  I learned what degree Cole was going for and what Victor was going for and I guess I just assumed you were all getting some kind of sports related degrees and were all here on sports scholarships. I apologize.”

“It’s ok.  Yeah, most of the guys are here on sports scholarships, but I did well in high school football, and my dad wanted me to play for here.  I think he was hoping I’d get picked up by the NFL, but I don’t play  _ that _ well.  I’m in it for the fun of it.  I’m doing a double major in chemical engineering and biomedical engineering.”  Dean said it so casually that for a moment Cas thought he was joking.

“Seriously.  Chemical and biomedical... _ engineering _ ?!”

“Well, yeah.  This is coming to the end of my B.A. since I tacked on a few more classes, but I intend to get my M.A. when I’m done with this.  I’m already halfway finished with my schooling.”

Cas was floored.  

“And  _ why _ are you not valedictorian?!”

Dean laughed.  “I slacked off a bit and got an A- in an English class freshman year.  It’s not my favorite subject.”

“I feel like the biggest asshole to ever live.”  Cas was never,  _ ever _ going to judge another person again.

“You’re not though.  If anything, I am, but I didn’t know how to talk to you otherwise.  I noticed you at the end of freshman year but you never ended up in any of my classes, and then I heard you were majoring in history, so I started to think I’d never get a class with you. I then learned you were friends with Jo, and she said you were taking this one, so she took it, and I decided to take it too, even though I didn’t really need it. I took it as an elective.”

“Why on earth would you want to talk to  _ me _ ?”  Cas couldn’t comprehend that.  Dean was smart and beautiful and the ladies loved him, so why would he want to talk to  _ him _ ?

“Duh, I like you.”  Dean’s cheeks burned as he looked shyly at him.

“Wait, what?  You...like... _ me _ ?!”  Cas shook his head.  “I have to be dreaming, this can’t be real…”

Dean took a tentative step forward, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he stared at the floor between them.

“Yeah, I mean, you’re gorgeous, Cas, and smart, and I asked around cause I was wondering if you might like me too, and my friend Charlie said you had liked me probably as long as I liked you.  So when I heard you were taking this class I signed up.  I’m not a stalker, really I’m not, but we’re about to graduate and I really wanted some time to just sort of get to know you.  I probably came off seeming like a jerk though.”

“You were a bit obnoxious,”  Cas conceded, even as the corners of his lips turned up slightly.  Dean chuckled and looked up at him.

“Sorry about that.  I’m not as smooth as my reputation might make me seem.  I’ve never been very good at just walking up to someone and saying ‘Hey, I like you, want to go out?’  But I didn’t want to let this chance slip through my hands.  Jo says you’re a great guy, and she doesn’t lie, so this is me, taking a chance.  Would you maybe go out with me?  I know a great place that serves burgers and homemade pie.”

“You knew this whole time that I liked you?”  Cas asked.  Dean chewed his lower lip as he nodded.

“I’m not the type of guy to make fun of someone though.  I really liked you back.  Uh, I mean I still do.  Like you back, that is.”

A flustered Dean was actually rather adorable, and much more appealing than obnoxious and loud Dean.  Cas was amazed that this gorgeous, intelligent and rather humble man wanted to go out with him.  He’d be an idiot to say no.

“Yes!  I mean…”  Cas cleared his throat and tried not to sound half as eager as he really was.  “Yes, I would like that.  When?”

“Well, we’re done with finals now, so, how about right now?”  

Cas could hear the hope in the man’s voice.  As if to put its own two cents worth in, his own stomach rumbled loud enough for them both to hear.  They both grinned.

“I’d like that.”

Dean offered a hand.  “This ok?”

Cas smiled even as he reached out to take it.  “It’s more than ok.”

They started walking towards the door.

“So, your rep as a ladies man, true or not?”  Cas asked.  Dean laughed.

“Dude, no.  The guys talked me up to get more girls to come around so  _ they _ could ask them out.  I haven’t dated a girl since sophomore year when I realized I didn’t like them like that.”

Cas was smiling so wide his cheeks actually hurt.  It had been a long 4 years, but he honestly couldn’t have thought of a better way to end his college years than with a date with the guy of his dreams.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all, I hope you enjoyed this story. And thank you Louisa for the prompt!
> 
> I have a bit of internet, so I am putting up this last chapter now. I am seeing the comments, and I will respond when I have access to steady internet for longer than 30 seconds to a minute at a time!

**Author's Note:**

> There are 4 chapters total for this. I'll post one a day for the next 4 days. If I miss a day, it means I do not have internet and could not put a chapter up. So look for it the next day. Thank you all for sticking by me so patiently. I love you guys!!!
> 
> Leave a comment and a kudos, I can still access my emails. I have data on my phone, I'm just using it sparingly since I am on my friend's plan and share 16GB with 3 other people.


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